Carina
by Lady Tallulah
Summary: Marik is finding it hard to fit in to Domino a year after Battle City has ended. High school is drawing to a close and while other students are excited to be applying for college he is struggling to find himself. That is, until he meets a girl at the local coffee shop who helps him let go of his past and discover the positive side of life he never knew existed. Marik/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Carina**

Chapter One

Marik sat irritably on the black leather couch. He watched the man's judging eyes examine his sullen body language. The man jotted notes in his book before he had even spoken. Marik gripped the couch in a form of anxiety. This couch was reserved for the insane, the ones with that of an unsound mind. For people who let the misfortunes in their lives provoke their erratic behavior.

Marik believed was not one of them.

He would be the first to admit his childhood was not pleasant. He suffered more than most but his suffering had only made him stronger. It made him who he was today.

But who was he really?

Right now he was just the young man waiting nervously for the psychologist before him to perform his analysis and throw some medical label at him.

'Depressed'

'Bipolar'

'Out of one's mind'

He wouldn't let the medical terminology define who he was.

He was a survivor.

His inner anger had been destroyed on the Battle City blimp along with his dream of world domination. He had conquered his demons though his overbearing sister still believed he had a long way to go.

"Why are you here today Marik?" the doctor finally asked.

He shrugged his shoulders in response.

"There must be a reason why you came to see me today."

"My sister made me."

The doctor proceeded to write in his notebook.

"Is she concerned for you?"

Marik ignored his question and looked out the window. Time seemed to pass slowly. Realizing Marik was not going to answer the question he changed the subject.

"It's a lovely day today, isn't it?"

Marik ignored him yet again, the doctor noted he had seemingly withdrawn into his own shell.

"What do you like to do on sunny days like this?" the doctor asked hoping to make the conversation flow better.

"I like to ride." Marik answered.

"You like to ride?"

"My motorcycle."

"And what is it you like most about riding?"

"I don't know."

"There must be something."

Marik thought for a moment. "Just… living in the moment."

"That sounds euphoric."

"It is."

"What do you think about when you ride?"

Marik let out a tired laugh. "You have never rode a motorcycle before, have you doctor?"

"No, I can't say that I have."

"Then you wouldn't understand. When you are riding you don't think about what's just happened or what's going to happen. You don't even think about what's happening. You just… experience the moment."

The doctor stared at Marik for quite a while before noting things down in his book once again. He sighed and then closed the book. He took off his glasses, his face seemed larger without them.

He placed the glasses and his book on the wooden coffee table before them.

"Your sister told me you had a very strict father."

"I don't want to talk about him."

"Why not?"

"Because he's dead."

"And how does that make you feel?"

Marik laughed lightly, rolling his eyes. He knew that sentence would come up quickly.

"Ecstatic." He answered with an almost malicious grin.

* * *

Marik returned home that evening to find his sister Ishizu alone in the kitchen cooking dinner.

"Hello Marik." she greeted.

Marik dropped his backpack on the floor by the door.

"Hi."

Ishizu poked her head around the corner of the door-frame. "How did everything go?" she asked.

"Fine."

She sensed the hesitation in his voice.

"Do you want to talk about anything?"

"Not really."

Ishizu nodded "Do you think you'll go back?"

"He wants to see me again next week."

Ishizu was about to respond when she saw Marik turn on the television. He increased the volume loudly, indicating he wished to end the conversation.

She sighed and returned to the kitchen. The psychologist had come highly recommended. She only hoped Marik would stick it out long enough to get the help he so desperately needed.

Marik watched the television with little enthusiasm. He pulled his mobile out of his pocket as soon as he felt it vibrate against his leg. He unlocked the screen and read the message.

_Have you decided what courses you are taking yet?_

It was a message from Odion. Marik pondered his reply. He hadn't been thinking too much about college although he knew he should. Ever since Ishizu had decided the two of them were to stay in Japan all he had focused on was trying to graduate from high school. The work was hard and mind-numbingly boring but somehow Marik managed to catch up. Everyone he knew at school was already counting down the days until they finished. Their final exams were in a couple of weeks and Marik needed to get his college application in, the only problem was he had no motivation to do so. He had no passion, no hobbies and no goals. That was part of the reason why Ishizu insisted he speak with a psychiatrist. To 'find himself' as she had put it.

Marik tapped swiftly on the touch pad of his phone.

_Not yet. Want to Skype?_

After Marik, Ishizu and Odion had assisted Yugi and his friends in helping the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle return to the afterlife, Odion had decided to stay in Egypt and volunteer on an archaeological dig. Ishizu still had business to attend to in Domino and so while she stayed she enrolled Marik at the local high school. Marik hadn't been prepared for how much he would miss Odion. After all, he had been his one and only true friend.

His phone vibrated once again.

_Ready when you are._

Marik got up from the sofa and headed to his bedroom. He closed the door and sat on the chair by his desk. He opened up his laptop and logged in. He clicked on Odion's name and smiled as he looked at his profile picture. It was a photo of the two of them, each making a funny face at the lens. He remembered that day fondly. Odion had just got his first digital camera and the two spent the whole day trying to figure out how to use it.

After a few dial tones Odion's face appeared on the screen.

"Hello, Marik."

"Hi, Odion."

"How are you?" the elder asked.

Marik shrugged. "Alright I suppose."

"I am assuming you have made no progress on the college application?"

"I don't even know if I will be graduating at this stage."

"Of course you'll graduate. You have put in a lot of hard work and have come a long way this past year."

"I guess. How are things with you?"

"Everything is good. I have a day off today so I will probably go into the market shortly."

"What's the time at the moment?" Marik asked.

He saw Odion look at his watch.

"Just after eleven. What did you do today?"

"Ishizu made me visit a shrink."

"A shrink?"

"A psychiatrist. She thinks I'm still crazy."

"She doesn't think you're crazy Marik."

"Hmm."

"Maybe it will be good for you to talk to someone."

"And what am I meant to tell him? That I tried to take over the world?"

"You don't need to tell him _everything_. Maybe just open up about your childhood, your father…"

"Oh don't you start." Marik growled.

"What?"

"I don't want to talk about my father. He's dead, can't we move on already?"

"You can't move on if you can't let go of the past Marik."

"But I have let go."

"Have you?" Odion challenged.

"Yes."

Odion looked at him with disbelief

"So what did this psychiatrist have to say?" He asked.

"Not much, he wants to see me again next week. He's not sure I "opened up enough" for him to get an understanding of my "situation"" Marik air-quoted and rolled his eyes.

"Right, so you can cross off psychology from one of your college courses."

Marik laughed then looked over toward the door when he heard Ishizu call him.

"I have to go." He sighed.

"Say hello to Ishizu from me."

"I will. Enjoy your day off." Marik smiled.

The two said their goodbyes and Marik ended the call. He closed his laptop and went back to the living room where he found his dinner waiting for him on the table.

**So I thought I'd attempt a Marik/OC story.**

**Any good so far? Should I continue? Let me know…**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

It was a Sunday afternoon and Marik chewed on the end of his pencil as he refused to break eye contact with the piece of paper in front of him.

There were three questions on the page for him to choose from:

**#1 Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?**

**#2 Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?**

**#3 Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?**

He groaned and ran his hand through his sand colored hair as he thought about his answers.

'_A place or environment where I am perfectly content…'_

He removed the pencil from his mouth and tapped it on the table.

'_Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure…'_

Marik scribbled underneath.

**My whole life is a failure.**

He looked up and out the window of the small, bohemian café in which he sat. He returned his eyes to the page and violently scribbled out his last words.

'_Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea… what prompted you to act… would you make the same decision again?'_

Marik took his pencil to paper once again.

**My name is Marik Ishtar. I was born in Egypt and into a family with a long history of tomb keepers.**

He re-read the line over and over again before growing annoyed and turning the page over. Surely the decision to rebel against his family history and break the chains which bound him to the underground was a time in which he challenged a belief. His anger prompted him to act and if he had to make the decision again he wouldn't hesitate to do so. Though reflecting on this was not something he wanted to do. He wanted to bury his past, not craft it into some narrative and submit it for a college application.

But what else could he write about? His family history was the only thing he knew. It was the only time he had challenged a belief, experienced a failure and his home was never a place where he was ever perfectly content.

"I have never seen someone look so serious."

Marik looked up to the sound of the young feminine voice who commented on his appearance.

She placed the coffee he ordered on the table next to his papers.

"College essay." Marik responded.

"Domino University?" she asked.

He nodded.

"I know how you feel." The girl said sympathetically. "I still haven't completed mine. In fact, the last time I attempted it, my paper ended up across the room."

Marik smiled to the point where a laugh almost escaped his lips. He examined the girl before him. She was short and quite petite. Her brown hair was pulled back into a messy bun. Her eyes were hazel and she had a pencil resting on top of her ear. She wore the black café uniform and her apron was covered in coffee grains. He noticed a golden necklace around her neck, in linked letters it spelt out what he assumed to be her name; Carina.

"Well, I'll leave you to it." She said. "Let me know if you need anything else."

"Thank you." Marik said as he reached for his coffee.

He took a long sip and then returned the cup to its saucer.

He turned the paper back over.

**My name is Marik Ishtar. I was born in Egypt and into a family with a long history of tomb keepers.**

He crossed out the line and then reached for his coffee. He took another sip and sat quietly, waiting patiently for inspiration to strike.

* * *

Later that week, Marik returned to the psychologist's office for his 5p.m. appointment.

"It's good to see you again, Marik." The doctor greeted.

Marik nodded and mumbled a hello.

"How have you been?"

"Fine, I guess."

"What have you been up to since we last spoke?"

"School, study, trying to write my college essay question."

"What is your question about?"

"I haven't decided which one to write about yet."

"Well, what are the options?"

The doctor watched Marik open his backpack and search through his books. He pulled it out a sheet of paper and handed it to him.

The doctor accepted the paper and rearranged his glasses to read the options.

"These are all very thought provoking."

"They are too personal." Marik grumbled.

"College essay questions are designed to encourage reflection and introspection. If your essay doesn't include some self-analysis, you haven't fully succeeded in answering the question."

The doctor looked at the questions. "What about a time you experienced failure? You're sure to impress the college admissions folk if you can show your ability to learn from your failures and mistakes."

"I was thinking about writing about a time when I challenged a belief or an idea."

"When was that?"

"My family were tomb keepers in Egypt. As tomb keepers our duty, throughout history, was to protect the tomb of the nameless pharaoh and his legacy in preparation for the day that the he would be reincarnated and shown his memories once again."

"That sounds like a big responsibility."

"It was and I didn't want to be a tomb keeper. So I chose to leave Egypt."

Marik had no prior intention of sharing this information but the wise words of Odion had lingered in the back of his mind since their last talk.

'_Maybe just open up about your childhood…'_

"That must have been a hard decision for you to make."

"It was."

"Do you think you made the right decision?"

Marik thought about his answer. "For me yes, for my family, probably not."

"But you still speak with your family?"

"My sister yes, my brother Odion is back in Egypt but we still speak when we can. My mother and father and both dead. Aside from my brother and sister, I have no other family."

"When did you decide that you didn't want to be a tomb keeper?"

"When my sister took me outside when I was about twelve years old. My whole life I had lived underground, I had no idea about the world that went on above. When she took me out we went to the market place, what I saw changed my life. I remember watching a scene from a movie on the television one of the merchants had. There was a man riding a motorcycle. He looked so happy and so free and I envied that freedom. From that moment I wanted nothing more than to stay above ground."

"And so you resented the fact that your destiny was to guard the tomb?"

Marik nodded.

"Who guards the tomb now?" the doctor asked intrigued.

"No one."

Marik wasn't about to explain the pharaoh had returned, gained back his lost memories and returned to the afterlife.

"I see. So if you don't want to be a tomb keeper, then what do you want to be?"

"I'm not sure." Marik replied honestly.

"Is there any subject at school you are good at, or enjoy doing?"

Marik shook his head.

"I would like to assign some homework for you Marik."

"Really?" he groaned. He had enough study and work to do already.

"What I would like you to do," he continued "is work on all of these essay questions."

"All three?"

"Yes. Your answers don't necessarily have to be long like an essay but it may help you clear out your mind. You see, your mind easily distorts things. It's a blessing and a curse. If you write things down, you change perspective. Writing is a powerful habit. Even if you throw it away, you will still get the benefits."

"Do you want to read it?" Marik asked.

"If you want me to, the work is for your own self-reflection but if you want to share it, I am more than happy to read it. You may choose one to submit as part of your college application or you may decide to go in a completely different direction."

"But I don't know where to start."

"Just start at the beginning. Write through your life just as you have told me now. Express your feelings, your frustrations, your anger and your resentment."

"I'm not the best writer in the world-"

"You don't have to be." The doctor reassured.

Marik sighed.

"I'd like to see you again in a week and we can go over how everything went."

"Fine." Marik reluctantly agreed as he stood and flung his bag over his shoulder.

"Many of my patients have been just as apprehensive as you are when I have assigned them a writing task, but I've found once they get going they find it hard to stop. Just like I think you will."

"Just don't expect a miracle doctor." Marik said as he made his way out the room. He stopped and turned in the doorway. "Like I said before, I am not a writer."

**If you enjoyed this chapter please don't forget to leave a review!**


End file.
